Networks and Creativity of Librarians in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

In recent years, libraries all over the world have faced a radical transition from analog to digital data. This paper shows how librarians in Japan have accepted and reacted to this change; we focused on their “networks” and “creativity”. First, we analyzed grassroots activities, such as a project called “Anthropomorphizing the Nippon Decimal Classification System” in a public library and the “Toshoket”, which is an exhibition for librarians and library fans. Next, we focused on librarians’ creativity in a gameplay setting. We used a card game as a research tool and asked librarians to play this game. We analyzed their conversations and found that their creativity emerged as a response to resources or situations in the library. The creativity that emerged in gameplay and in grassroots networks shared a common feature: both constituted a response to the existing environment and resources. Based on Engeström’s concept of “mycorrhizae”, we concluded that librarians’ creativity and networks are enabled by the symbiotic relationships found in libraries.